J.D. Hayworth and ALIPAC: Saga Continues With Hints of Maricopa County Attorney's Office

The latest controversy surrounding the endorsement of ex-Congressman J.D. Hayworth by the controversial Americans for Legal Immigration (ALIPAC), now involves another Hispanic Republican group, this one with ties to Sheriff Joe Arpaio and to a blog allegedly written by a Maricopa County prosecutor.

The American Post Gazette, an ultra-conservative blog linked to Andrew Thomas' office, published a story today calling an "attack" on Hayworth by Somos Republicans a "cheap shot." Somos Republicans recently criticized Hayworth's acceptance of an endorsement from ALIPAC.

The post's anonymous author claims that Somos Republicans founder DeeDee Blase is a "radical illegal immigrant activist" and that she doesn't speak for Hispanic Republicans.

The post says the older Arizona Latino Republican Association isn't radical enough for Blase, which is why she decided to form her own group.

Blase tells New Times that she left ALRA because did nothing for Hispanic causes. She says she was also concerned that the group's spokeswomen, Alice Lara, has buddied up with brown-bashing Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The sheriff, she noted, endorsed Lara's campaign to serve on the Maricopa Integrated Health Systems Governing Board.

We spoke to Lara, who says she had not read the the Gazette post, or even heard of the blog, something Blase finds hard to believe because of the person she suspects wrote it.

Blase suspects that former Go Daddy girl and Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Alexander, is behind the post.

Alexander didn't respond to New Times' request for comment. She is also believed to often post on conservative blogs like the Sonoran Alliance.

Whoever is behind the Gazette blog also suggests that Blase is working for the McCain campaign as a paid staffer. Both Blase and McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers insist that's an outrageous claim.

In fact, Blase made it clear that her condemnation of Hayworth is in no way an endorsement of McCain.

Blase contends that she is only looking out for the interests of Hispanic Republicans, most of whom frown upon people who use the term "wetback," as ALIPAC organizer William Gheen admitted to us that he uses. She says she won't make an endorsement in the Senate race until the primary is over.Maricopa Integrated Health Systems Governi